Ukrainian Catholic Parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary625 5th Avenue SW Moose Jaw SK S6H 5W2 (306) 692-9456

Fr. Yurij Lazurko, administrator(306) 693-6636 (home) (306) 690-9709 (cell)

CHRIST IS AMONG US!HE IS AND WILL BE! Sunday February 9, 2014

Sunday of Publican and Pharisee pg 38 tone 5Epistle: 2Timothy 3:10-15 Gospel: Luke 18:10-14

ХРИСТОС ПОСЕРЕД НАСІ Є І БУДЕ

Sun Feb 9 5:00 p.m. Moose Jaw - for parishioners Mon Feb 10 10 a.m. ChaplinTues Feb 11 NO LITURGYWed Feb 12 NO LITURGYThurs Feb 13 NO LITURGYFri Feb 14 NO LITURGYSat Feb 15 NO LITURGYSun Feb 16 9:30 a.m. Moose Jaw 1:00 p.m. Hodgeville

Opening Hymn Come now to us pg 37 (2 verses)Closing Hymn: Holy this moment pg 43 (2 verses)

PRAY THE ROSARY DAILYPlease notify Fr. Yurij when someone is sick or hospi-talized in order that these people be visited in a timely manner.

Thought du jourWe can all learn a lesson from winter weather: it ignores all criti-cism.You know a person is teaching the truth when no one debates it

EVENTS & THINGSPlease be mindful in your prayers of John Smuk, Anne Sahaidak, Anne Romanuk, Steve Okraincee and Stella Bida and of all who are in the need of the gift of health.

Vision 2020The Vibrant Parish

By Easter of 2014, each par-ish of our Eparchy will be in-vited to apply the 6 themes of Patriarch Sviatoslav’s Pastoral Letter to a “Pasto-ral Plan” tailor made for their own parish. This plan will be created by you and for you so that your parish can be a place to encounter the living Christ.

On March 23 we will have a parish gathering to formulate our parish plan. Next week we will distribute a sheet that will show what we need to ‘fill in’ to lead us to the plan.It would be helpful for this process if you would read again (for the first time) the booklet on the vibrant par-ish.

Fr. Yurij (and Dorothy) will be away from Feb 18-28 inclu-sive. During that time the fol-lowing priests have agreed to assist in urgent necessity.Fr. Basil Malowany 306-543-8008 (off); 306-540-5102 (cell)Fr. Vladimir Mudri 306 522-7767 (off); 306-537-9847 cell Fr. Andrei Kachur 306-551-1512 (cell)There will be NO LITURGY in Moose Jaw on Feb 23. Please fulfill your obligation at St. Joseph’s or Church of our Lady.I may be contacted by emailylazurko@hotmail.com

Sunday of Publican and PhariseeThe theme of this parable is repentance. Repentance is the door through which we enter Lent, the starting-point of the journey to Pascha. To repent signifies far more than self-pity or futile regret over things done in the past. The Greek term metanoia means “change of mind.” To repent is to be renewed, to be transformed in our inward viewpoint, to attain a fresh way of looking at our relationship with God and with others. The fault of the Pharisee is that he has no desire to change his outlook; he is complacent, self-satisfied, and so he allows no place for God to act within him. The Gospel depicts him as a man that is pleased only with himself who thinks that he has complied with all of the requirements of religion. But in his pride, he has falsified the meaning of true religion and faith. He has reduced these to external observations, measuring his piety by the amount of money he gives.The Publican, on the other hand, truly longs for a “change of mind.” He humbles himself, and his humility justifies him be-fore God. He becomes, in the words of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3), “poor in spirit.” He acknowledges that he is a sinner, and he knows that salvation is only found in the mercy of God. Here we find an example of true humility, an essential aspect of repentance. A “change of mind” and the transforma-tion of our lives can only happen when we humble ourselves before God, acknowledge our willingness to turn from sin, and receive His grace into our lives.Our preparation for Lent thus begins with a prayer for humil-ity, the beginning of true repentance. Through repentance, we can find and return to the true order of things, a restoration of our spiritual vision that will guide us in a very difficult and challenging world. By entering Great Lent in humility and re-pentance, we can attain deeper communion with God as we receive His forgiveness and He blesses by guiding us to greater spiritual heights

Mark this downUCWLC meeting Sunday March 2 following coffee.

to be continued

Lenten Prayer PartnersAgain this lent we will be participating in the Prayer Partner program. Place the card with your name in the envelope. We will draw for partners on March 2. You are encouraged to participate. What a beautiful gift to give someone - prayer.

SorokoustyWe will pray for your loved ones. Please update your book-lets as necessary. Stipend is $10. Booklets are at the back.

PRIESTS BRING COMFORT TO MENACING KYIV PRO-TESTS28 January 2014 27 January 2014 Washington Post

Ukrainian priests are trained to comfort their flock — and these days, those worshippers are often on the barricades.As a barricade of blazing tires belched thick black smoke in Kiev last week, a line of priests stood between hundreds of angry pro-testers and ominous riot police.The priests have been one of the most visually arresting parts of the protests that have gripped this former Soviet republic for the last two months. Their vestments of black cassocks overlaid with colorful strips of cloth around their shoulders are a striking con-trast to both the silver shields and black helmets of riot police and the often-scruffy clothes and rag-tag protective devices worn by protesters.Every freezing morning, priests sing prayers to the demonstrators gathered on the Ukrainian capital’s main square, a solemn and soothing interlude to hours of vehement speeches calling for revo-lution.They have been an element of calm and aid, even providing shelter to protesters who had been beaten and were in fear of the police. When police violently dispersed an early protest gathering, many of the injured and the frightened took sanctuary in the St. Michaels Monastery, a hilltop complex in the heart of Kiev.“Today we can see cases of people being chased by the govern-ment, which was chosen by the people but didn’t justify itself as a government that cares about its people,” said Father Igor of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

The priests also quietly provide an example of working together amid tensions. Although the four largest churches, including three factions of Orthodox, compete for influence in Ukraine, clergy from all of them have shown up at the protests.“Now, especially in Ukraine, we can see that churches and other religious organizations may differ from each other at some point, but as people we are all people,” said Father Ivan, also of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.“God says ‘blessed are the peacemakers for they will have the kingdom of heaven.’ That’s why all the churches are against the confrontation and the bloodshed that has already taken place,” added Father Igor.

†In Memoriam†We extend our prayers and sympathies to Kay Chudyk on the recent passing into eternity of her brother †Metro.

Vichnaya Pamiat

Saints of the Month: The Righteous Sime-on and Prophetess AnnaThe Righteous Simeon, the God-ReceiverSimeon was, according to the testimony of the holy Evangelist Luke, a just and devout man waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him (Luke 2:25). God promised him that he would not die until the promised Messiah, Christ the Lord, came into the world.Ancient historians tell us that the Egyptian pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-247 B.C.) wished to include texts of Holy Scripture in the famous Library at Alexandria. He invited scholars from Jerusalem, and the Sanhedrin sent their wise men. The Righ-teous Simeon was one of the seventy scholars who came to Alex-andria to translate the Holy Scriptures into Greek. The completed work was called “The Septuagint,” and is the version of the Old Testament used by the Eastern Christian Churches.St Simeon was translating a book of the Prophet Isaiah, and read the words: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bring forth a Son” (Is 7:14). He thought that “virgin” was inac-curate, and he wanted to correct the text to read “woman.” At that moment an angel appeared to him and held back his hand saying, “You shall see these words fulfilled. You shall not die until you behold Christ the Lord born of a pure and spotless Virgin.”From this day, St Simeon lived in expectation of the Promised Messiah. One day, the righteous Elder received a revelation from the Holy Spirit, and came to the Temple. It was on the very day (the fortieth after the Birth of Christ) when the All-Pure Virgin Mary and St Joseph had come to the Temple in order to perform the ritual prescribed by Jewish Law.When St Simeon beheld their arrival, the Holy Spirit revealed to him that the divine Child held by the All- Pure Virgin Mary was the Promised Messiah, the Savior of the world. The Elder took the Child in his arms and said, “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy ser-vant depart in peace, according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32).There is a Christian epigram (Number 46) in “The Greek Anthol-ogy” which is addressed to St Simeon. It tells the righteous Elder to receive the Child Who was born before Adam, and Who will de-liver Simeon from this life and bring him to eternal life. A similar idea is expressed in the Aposticha for the Forefeast of the Nativity of the Lord (December 24). There the Mother of God refers to her Son as “older than ancient Adam.”Simeon blessed the All-Pure Virgin and St Joseph, and turning to the Mother of God he said, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against. Yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35).The holy Evangelist continues: “And there was one Anna, a proph-etess, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Aser. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband for seven years from her virginity; and she was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not leave the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming at that very hour, also gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption at Jerusalem” (Luke 2:36-38).

World Day of Prayer Friday March 7 at Zion Church.